Chris Robinson, director of Scottish Language Dictionaries, said she was taken aback by the move, adding: “I find it very surprising the Church of Scotland should have such disregard for one of the three indigenous languages of this country.

"There are plenty words used in the church, or legal, or other fields, that are much rarer and more specialised, so why pick on this helpful, harmless, innocent, useful and much-loved little word?"

Michael Hance, director of the Scots Language Centre, added: "It's a bit odd that the Kirk, a centuries-old institution, impervious to change, should have selected this Scots word and decided to remove it.

"I'm sad to learn of this decision. What are they going to do next, drop the word kirk?"

A Church of Scotland spokesman said it believed the change would make documents more accessible.